Quantum Theory
by Darkfyyre
Summary: Gilbert lives an ordinary and low-stress life, going to school with his brother and good friends. One day, his world disappears and he finds himself in an a parallel universe where nothing has changed yet everything is different.
1. Chapter 1

The droning voice of Mr. Shaff filled the large but mainly empty room with echoes, just barely keeping Gilbert awake. It was science class, first period, and already he wanted to crawl back to bed and sleep for another few hours. He sighed heavily, hunching over his desk and resting his cheek on the cool pages of his science textbook. Looking down at the text, the letters and words blurred together to fit the meaningless babble of his teacher, who was currently attempting to teach something called "quantum theory".

The idea was absurd. There were two versions of this theory, and one made no more sense than the other. There was also an experiment, meant to demonstrate the theory in action. It involved a cat in a box, with a bottle of poison and a hammer poised to break it. The hammer could swing down, break the bottle, thereby killing the cat, or it could stay in place, allowing the cat to live. These were the two options.

_Standard quantum theory states that, until someone looks in the box, both possibilities of the cat's life remain equally likely, in a "superposition of states." The cat is both dead and alive at the same time._

Gilbert was just glad that someone had realized how completely stupid that was, and come up with something better; or, rather, something even stranger.

_The idea that every outcome of every quantum choice really does happen is called the "many worlds" theory. We picture this as a repeated branching from different choices. Suppose someone decides whether to drink tea or coffee. In one universe they choose tea, in the other coffee. More choices follow. Milk or cream in the coffee? Sugar or none in the tea? Again, the universes divide. Every universe is real, but there is no way to communicate between them "next door" in time._

He groaned, his mind scrabbling at the information, but it swam before his eyes like the fuzzy letters in his immediate field of vision. He wondered why anyone even really _cared_ about these kinds of things... after all, if the supposed "parallel universes" couldn't be reached, why bother explaining them?

He snuggled his face into the crook of his arm, muting Mr. Shaff's voice in one ear. With the noise dulled, he began to drift off...

He dozed for what must have been maybe five minutes, before he was suddenly woken by someone prodding him in the back.

"Oh, what? Who is it?" Gilbert turned around to see his friend Antonio. "Oh, hey dude. What did I miss?" He looked about worriedly, hoping his friend had been taking good notes.

"Nothing important, man. Besides, who cares about this stuff anyway? It's all this boring stuff that I'm sure came to some fool in a lucid dream. C'mon, man, we gotta go find Francis; he texted me earlier and said that we're all set to roll." He grinned, but Gilbert was confused.

"Hold up, you didn't take notes?" Gilbert knew that although his friend wasn't completely thrilled with science, he always took notes of some kind. Also, he had no idea what on earth they would be meeting Francis for.

"Yeah, why would I? No one here really cares about this class anyway. You feeling okay, man?" Antonio slapped him on the back and smiled. "Come on; a good laugh'll get you into spirit!" He grabbed Gilbert by the wrist and dragged him from the classroom. Gilbert was barely able to scoop up his books before he was pulled along at a steady jog.

_What the heck? Tony always takes notes... and what exactly are we meeting Francis for? Is this some sort of surprise or something? _He was brought down a nearly vacant hall to where Francis was leaning against some old lockers. It was odd, for Gilbert had never seen this hall or these lockers before in his life.

"Oh, there you two are. You're kinda late; we need to punctual for this to work, okay?" Gilbert had to do a double take at the sight of his blonde haired friend. Or, at least he was pretty sure this was Francis, but it was like his whole demeanor had changed overnight. His hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail, and a crooked cigarette hung from the corner of his lips. His blue eyes were narrowed, but that could not hide the hostility in them. Gilbert felt as though he had just stumbled upon Francis's inner demon.

_What is going on?_ Gilbert did his best to keep his cool and just roll with the punches, but things just kept getting stranger.

"This hall will be empty for another ten minutes, so let's get to it." Francis yanked open one of the lockers and brought out a rough canvas bag. Tipping it over, the contents spilled across the floor. They were spray paint cans. Gilbert's blood turned cold. Just what were they doing? More importantly, _why_ was he being dragged into it?

"All right, man! Let's do this!" Antonio scooped up a few colors, and silently disappeared down the hall, periodically spraying splotches of paint upon the face of the lockers. Aghast, it finally dawned on Gilbert just exactly what they were doing. Francis was already picking out colors to deck their new-found painting surface.

Gilbert stared down at the paint that was left, wondering if perhaps the joke was all in good fun, and not a malicious act of vandalism. He picked up a can of white, and one of black, feeling a little more confident.

Within minutes, he had scrawled the emblem of his favorite country, Prussia, across three lockers. It was a black bird, and though it was slightly lopsided and drippy, the word "Prussia" made clear his intentions. He grinned; it was his favorite thing to draw, and it looked good on the old, banged-up lockers. He wished he had a camera to take a picture of it.

"Nice, man! Now, we gotta run before somebody sees us!" Gilbert whipped around to face Antonio, a rock instantly settling in the pit of his stomach.

"You mean, we're not supposed to be doing this?" He swallowed, dreading the answer.

"Of course not!" Antonio laughed, shaking his head. "So, let's go!" Francis had already slipped away, and Antonio was practically jumping up and down, ready to bolt like a rabbit at the first signs of danger. There was a shout from the far end of the hall, and he was gone. Gilbert ran after, fear the only thing driving him.

One thought lay heavily on his mind: _What have I done?_

***

Gilbert was very confused. Something was beginning to dawn on him, but for the time being, he would not believe it. There were the things he had known before his nap:

His name was Gilbert, older brother of Ludwig, best friends with Antonio and Francis. He had an average grades, ranging from A- to C+. He did his best to get along with everyone in his school, and was a respectful and diligent student most of the time. He had a crush on a girl named Elizaveta.

Now, he had gathered some new facts:

His name was still Gilbert, he was still (he thought) the older brother of Ludwig, and his two best friends were Antonio and Francis. However, these friends were different; Antonio had no interest in learning, and Francis looked like a drug dealer. As for himself... it seemed he was supposed to be a vandal or prankster.

_This is bad_, Gilbert fretted, _I'm not like that at all! No,__I'm__not... but perhaps in this world, Gilbert isn't me..._

The rest of the day was hectic for Gilbert. All of his classes were the same, and no names had changed either, but... he still didn't know anyone. He had received the comment, "You're awfully quiet today, Gilbert," from many of his teachers, and had been constantly jostled by his friends to do things he certainly wasn't comfortable doing.

Halfway through his last class, he was suddenly hauled out of the class by Francis, who smelt strongly of cigarette smoke.

"Let's get out of here; Tony says Rom figured us out." Gilbert's eyes widened.

"Dude, my class isn't even over yet!" He gasped, horrified.

"So? We skip class all the time." Francis grinned, and before Gilbert could protest, he was once again being dragged away.

Things began to happen all at once, as lockers, stray students, and noisy classes flashed by on their run. A yell sounded out as they rushed past a hallway, and Francis began to sprint even faster. Gilbert dashed after him, glad to be as fit as he was. His heart was pounding madly, mixing with the steady rhythm of his steps and the hounding voices of their pursuers. He glanced back, and was shocked to see two men in uniform running after them.

_Since when do we have security?_ He wondered, breathing hard. Adrenaline pumped through him, and not for the first time that day he wondered if this was normal. They burst from the school, the glare of the overcast day flooding their eyes with light. Blinking several times, he chased after his friend blindly, trying desperately to keep up. It was not long, however, until he had gotten himself completely lost.

The whole _town_ was different! Long gone were the cheery streets and welcoming cafes. Replacing them were tall, gray buildings, and dank alleys.

He sank to the ground, overwhelmed.

_This can't be happening... it's impossible; completely absurd! I'm probably dreaming or something._ He wished he would wake up.

Time passed, and he wandered the darkening streets aimlessly with a sullen expression on his face. With his hoodie up, and his hands tucked in his pockets, he looked like the kind of person who you wouldn't want to run into down a dark alleyway.

As night swept over, a sleek, black jaguar pulled up beside him, a silver eagle serving as ornamentation on its hood. Worried, he readied himself to dash away, but breathed a sigh of relief when the window rolled down slowly to reveal his brother.

"Bruder, get in. _Now._" Gilbert was shocked by the stern tone, and obediently he sat down in the seat beside his brother.

"Do you know what time it is?" Ludwig asked, not taking his eyes off the road as he drove on.

"Nah, got my watch snatched about five streets ago," he muttered. Theft was rampant in these parts, he had found.

"You could have called,"

"Yeah, phone's gone, too."

Ludwig scowled. "Why do you do this, Gilbert? Skipping class, pulling pranks, harassing other students; you're not a kid anymore! Do you have any idea what your grade point average is?" This time, Ludwig fixed his brother's red eyes with an icy stare.

Gilbert blinked, his stomach twisting in knots. "No..." he said slowly.

Ludwig sighed heavily. "You are failing _every one_ of your classes, you hear me?" he shook his head, defeated. Gilbert was surprised; he had expected a hounding. Instead, his brother looked tired, and his normally well-combed blonde hair had stray, wispy strands sticking out in all directions.

Silence settled over them. Gilbert watched the neighborhood begin to change. Apartments gave way to houses, and houses got larger and larger. Then, a wall rose up beside him, and before he knew what was happening, his brother had turned the car into a gated community. Now, they were surrounded by mansions of all shapes and sizes, each one situated behind imposing gates, which blocked entry to long, snaking driveways. Needless to say, he was completely bewildered by it all, but he pretended that it was normal so as not to worry his brother.

Ludwig pressed a button on a device, and one of the gates ahead slid ponderously open. They pulled into the driveway, which led to a – comparatively – small estate. It had stark, white walls that contrasted drastically with its black tiled roof. There were very few windows, and Gilbert could not see inside. After the car was put away, Gilbert followed his brother to the entrance, not knowing what to expect. Ludwig unlocked the door and stepped inside. Gilbert quickly followed.

"Where have you been?" Gilbert was frozen by a deep, menacing voice. It was familiar, too, and he looked up to see... his father.

Now he _knew_ he was not in his own world. Ten years ago, his father had died in a store robbery gone wrong. He had been hailed as a hero for his efforts to help those inside, but had given his life in the noble effort. Seeing him now... Gilbert wanted to run to him, to embrace him, but, something in man's eyes held him back. His father was angry.

"Vati, it was my fault." Just like that, Ludwig had covered for him without even blinking. "You see, I-"

"I don't want to hear it. Come with me; you will be punished." Gilbert's father turned to face him. "As for you, go to your room." He grabbed Ludwig roughly by the arm, and all but dragged him out. Ludwig would not meet Gilbert's eye.

Gilbert was left standing in the foyer, shaking. What kind of life _was_ this? He turned down a hall, opening doors at random to find billiard rooms, libraries, and lounges. He finally found his own room. The walls were covered in posters, paintings, and banners, with white and black dominating the color scheme of the room. He fell upon his bed, the crisp white sheets and soft, cotton blanket giving way beneath him noiselessly.

He curled up, and forced himself to sleep.

In the morning, he did not see his father, but he did find his brother.

"_Guten morgen, bruder_-" Ludwig turned around, and Gilbert had to hold back a cry of shock at the sight of his brother's face.

_This... this is normal? _He forced himself to remain expressionless, but he couldn't bear to look at the ugly bruises across Ludwig's eyes.

"Are you going to eat or not?" Ludwig asked, his voice flat and void of concern.

"_Nein_, I'm not hungry anymore."

The drive to school was once again quiet. Gilbert didn't know what to say. Did his brother always take the blame, and the punishment? His mind spun. He _loved_ his brother! In the years he had cared for him, they had grown very close. Now, it seemed, it was his brother who was looking after him, and... they were worlds apart.


	2. Chapter 2

Study hall was more of a social gathering than anything else, but it gave Gilbert the chance to learn more about the school and the students in it. He was learning who was friendly, and who he was supposed to be picking on.

It was hard. People he had once gotten along with, now never spoke with him. Others, those he always considered a "bad crowd", were now his closest friends. It was tough indeed.

Study hall was held in the library, but it was anything but quiet in the large, echoing space that was home to the vast majority of the school's information. Noisy groups of students populated the computer stations, they filled the aisles, and crammed the tables. The librarian had long since given up on controlling the madhouse her precious library had become.

Gilbert laughed along with the group who had pulled him in, pretending to understand the inside jokes and past pranks they spoke of. The group itself consisted of Alfred, - who appeared to be like the sun or something; everyone orbited around him - Arthur, Francis, Antonio, and a girl he had never seen before. She had flaming red hair and fiery emerald eyes that flashed with every emotion one could think of. She was very pretty, but her attitude made her quite unattractive to Gilbert.

He was struggling to keep up with the fast-paced talk, when Francis suddenly turned to him and asked, "So how did last night go with your father and brother?"

Gilbert blinked; the events of the night before flooded his vision in horridly crystal-clear detail: The shock of seeing his dead father, Ludwig's indifference towards himself, and the face of his brother in the morning... Gilbert gagged, unable to take it any longer.

"Excuse me..." he fled the library, holding back the contents of his stomach as best he could. He stumbled out into the fresh air, and sighed as he felt his belly begin to settle again. Setting out at a quick pace, he kept his head down and his eyes on the time. He did not want to be home late again, but he didn't think he could face his family at that moment.

Scarcely paying attention to anything in front of him, he ran right into someone; more precisely, he tripped over her.

"Watch where you're going, _dummkopf_!" A scratchy voice yelled at him. He was surprised; whoever it was had spoken in German.

Picking himself up, he turned around to see a girl about his own age, sitting on the ground with a fierce scowl on her face. She had long black hair kept up in a neat ponytail, and her eyes reminded Gilbert of his brother's.

"Oh, wonderful; it's you." She looked up at him distastefully. "Of all the people to see me like this..." It was then that Gilbert realized just what she was doing. Around her were piles of garbage, and boxes and bags stuffed with glass objects of every kind.

"Are you... picking through that trash?" Gilbert asked hesitantly.

"Yes, yes; I know it's dirty, and dumb, and whatever insults you've got, but it's this crap, or no dinner for my family tonight!" She stood up, hauling the bags over her shoulder with one hand. "If you even think about telling someone about this, I'll kill you."

"Th-that won't be necessary; believe me!" Gilbert stammered, alarmed. Who was this girl? Had she really been serious about killing him? Surely not. It seemed to him that "prankster Gilbert" and she did not get along too well. He thought back to what she had just said.

"...it's this crap, or no dinner tonight!"

"I'll buy you something for your family to eat, if you want." He offered without thinking.

"You... you would?" she sounded incredulous, so Gilbert quickly whipped out his wallet.

"Yeah, don't worry about it. It would… put my mind at ease."

"Damn it! Who the hell are you and what the hell did you do with Gilbert?" He gasped slightly, wondering if she'd figured it out, but she was grinning at him. "But don't get me Panda Express just because I'm Asian, okay?"

"Oh, yeah, of course I won't!" He picked up the crates she could not carry. "So, uh, what are we doing with these?"

She smiled, eyes shining ice-blue in the light of the cold sun. "You'll see."

***

They had walked several miles. Bulky, hunched apartments squatted on either side of the narrow, pot-holed street, and everything from children and dogs to rats and thieves skulked to and fro between them. Gilbert felt out of place, and everyone and everything - even the windows of the buildings themselves - seemed to be staring him down.

The girl, for whom he still had no name, led him to a run-down and most likely abandoned warehouse. She set down the bags, and unlocked the door, kicking it open with a thump and a shriek from the hinges.

"Come on; don't be shy." She dragged her luggage in, and quickly disappeared. Gilbert hurried after her, not wanting to get lost in the lawless neighborhood. Inside was a whole other world.

The place was lit by warm, shimmering, multi-colored light; a myriad of twisted glass oil lamps cast colorful, bouncing shadows in all directions. The interior smelled of incense and honey, slightly tainted by the scent of something burning.

"This is where I work," she said shyly, gesturing towards a cluster of tables where several others of all ages were working on something... "We make glass objects from the bottles and jars we collect. Our furnaces are behind that door. My father and these other men melt down the glass and spin it into wonderful artworks of all shapes and sizes. I, along with my friends, make the smaller glass pieces into things like jewelry to sell for a profit. It's... how we make a living."

Gilbert was astounded. "This... this is amazing!" He turned back to her. "Thank you for showing me... I never knew this was how things were for you." _I never knew you at all_, a small voice inside him added silently. He shook his head, clearing away the thought.

"So, you promised some food?" she gently set the bags down against the dirty gray wall, and they settled with a light clanking. He placed the crates beside them, and straightened to face her.

"Yeah; come on. You like pizza?"

***

Gilbert still had an hour before he had to go home, and he was happy to see the appreciative faces of the girl's family as they graciously took the food he offered. They ate ravenously; possibly they hadn't eaten so well in a long time. Her family consisted of her father, Ivan, his wife (NAME), and her three brothers. One had long since left; the other two, who were twins, still attended school with the girl.

"Who would have guessed you of all people would be the one helping us?" Her brother, Yung Soo, teased with a grin.

Gilbert nodded, glancing at his new watch. "I gotta go now; I don't want to be home late again."

"Thank you so much, Gil. It means a lot." The girl called over to him from where she sat with her other brother. He had his arms wrapped around her in a warm embrace. They smiled at him. "I'll see you at school tomorrow, then." and she waved him off.

He waved back, and left the small apartment behind. He headed for home, thinking that perhaps he knew just what he was meant to be doing in this insane, backwards world...


	3. Chapter 3

_Gilbert... did I ever really know him? Maybe, not everyone is as they first appear... you really never can judge a book by its cover._

Hellena sat in the chill morning air of the High School courtyard, musing over the events of the day before. She glanced up at the clock, realizing she had a class to get to.

"Science," she grumbled to herself. It wasn't her favorite subject, and she really didn't have any friends there she could talk to, but she would have to endure. Deftly, she made her way up the stairs, and slipped into class with ease.

"Good morning, class," Mr. Shaff greeted the students as they settled into their seats. "Today we will be doing some labs with partners." The class murmured excitedly, eyes finding each other as if to confirm their partnership. Their hopes were quickly squashed, however. "Now, before you get too excited, you should know that I will be doing the choosing."

Hellena huffed. It didn't matter anyway; she could deal with whoever she was paired with. She found herself partnered with a boy by the name of Vash. She knew of him. Her friends never shut up about how "weird" he was; always hanging around with some freshman girl. Vash was short, with straw-blonde hair and green eyes that reminded her of a cat.

"Hi," she said, striding towards him. There was no use in being awkward; they would have to speak to each other eventually. As she walked over to him, she whacked the palm of her hand on the corner of a table. A spike of pain shot up her arm, but she ignored it, only muttering a few curses in her native tongue.

"Hello. My name is Vash." he presented a hand, as if to shake. She looked at him dubiously at first, but took his hand with her own throbbing one and gave it a firm shake.

"And I'm Hellen-" she stopped, staring down at her clasped fingers. Blood.

"Er," he pulled away, gazing at the red on his hand, "it would appear that you are bleeding."

It was true; she was bleeding, but she _did_ have a good reason for it. She was not, however, about to tell _him_ that.

"Oh; I cut myself on some glass yesterday. It's still kinda tender, I guess," she fibbed. She looked nervously at the clean cut on her palm.

"You should go to the nurse," he said slowly, then continued, "I'll escort you." He went off to address the teacher first, holding his bloodied hand away from himself.

_Damn it! The hell kind of greeting was that? Fuck, I'm awful at first impressions…_

The two left the classroom, traveling down the hall in silence for a moment. As they moved away from the curious glances of the students still in the class, Vash began to speak again.

"How did you really get hurt?" he asked, his green eyes serious. Hellena froze.

"Glass, I swear." Almost true, but it was no accident. Vash gave her a hard look. Finally, she relented. "Okay! It's... something my brothers and I did. Have you ever heard of a blood pact?" She looked away, embarrassed. "It's stupid, I know... sometimes the cut re-opens. Yung Soo's too careful for that though, so his is but a scar now."

Vash smiled at her. "I think that's very unique. Not many siblings are so close to each other. You're very lucky, you know. I don't even have a brother or sister." Hellena stared at him.

"I've never considered myself lucky, but I guess in that respect, I am." She frowned at him thoughtfully.

"What is it?" he looked worried.

"No, it's just that... you're not as weird as everyone says you are. You're actually quite descent."

"Thank you; you are also not as mean as some of your friends." He looked up. They had reached the clinic. "Here we are; let's get you patched up."

Hellena looked over her freshly bandaged hand.

"I guess this'll have to do. Kind of hindering, but oh well." She bounced out of the clinic, Vash in her wake. "I hope Mr. Shaff lets us use someone else's data for the homework."

"He probably will," Vash shrugged. "Anyway, let's go."

They made their way up the stairs, and down the hall towards their class. Hellena let her mind wander, and did not immediately notice the girl walking towards them.

"Vash!" Vash's eyes shot up, and Hellena, too, looked to see who had called out. A girl, who looked to be about a year below them, was running at them. Her hair was nearly identical to that of Vash, and her eyes were a slightly softer shade of green. A blue ribbon adorned her hair. She hugged him, smiling widely.

Vash seemed a bit surprised, and looked over at Hellena as though expecting criticism. He gave the girl a quick embrace, and then they released each other.

"How nice to see you here!" She laughed, and then looked over at Hellena. "Who's she?"

"My name's Hellena," Hellena replied, and gave Vash a slantwise glance. Was this, perhaps, the freshman of whom her friends spoke?

"I'm Lilit. Nice to meet you!" She turned back to Vash. "I'll see you at lunch, right?"

"Yes, and at study hall. And don't forget after school."

"Okay! I'll see you later." She skipped off, and Vash looked after him, his eyes distant. They continued walking, and a sly smile played across Hellena's lips.

"So... what's your relationship with her? I thought you didn't have a sister." Vash shot her an annoyed look. "I take it you get that a lot. Come on; I told you a story about myself; now enlighten me."

"Well... I met her two years ago. I ran into her, actually.

_I was running down the hall, trying not to be late. School had started about a week before, so I was still learning classes and such. This is a very big school, after all. I wasn't really paying attention to what was in front of me, and well, we collided._

_I fell flat on my butt, and I must confess I was about to say something nasty, but I looked up and saw her. I don't know why, but I just shut up, right then and there._

_"Watch where you're going!" Is the next thing I thought to say, and I did. She only smiled at me._

_"You're the one running. We're not supposed to run in the halls, you know." She helped me up, but I was still trying to uphold my argument._

_"I don't want to be late, okay?"_

_"You could get really hurt by running around in the halls. Would you rather be late, or dead?" I just stared at her._

_"I'd rather be dead!" I ran past her, and didn't think about her for the rest of the day._

"So... you didn't think about her again. How did you guys become so close?" Hellena questioned, her eye brows furrowing.

"She... she found me. It was during study hall...

_I was in the library, studying, when she came up behind me and sat beside me. She set her books down on the table with a thump, and promptly asked, "Would you really rather be dead than late?"__  
__  
__I looked up, and was really startled because I didn't think I'd ever see her again. I told her that, yes, I really would rather be dead than late. Perhaps I was just trying to fight an argument I had already lost, because by then I didn't mean it.__  
__  
__"I think it's better to be late once so that you can learn from your mistake, rather than dead, where you'll never learn anything again." She just smiled at me, and went back to doing her own homework..._

"I guess what I said had gotten her thinking, so she found me again. We kinda... just started meeting in the library after that, during study hall that is. I help her with her homework, and..." he trailed off.

"...and what does she do for you?" Hellena pressed. He looked up at her sharply.

"She doesn't _do_ anything for me... I just enjoy her company, and vice versa, that's all." Hellena narrowed her eyes at him, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips, but she said nothing. They returned to class without another word between them.

"Class is over; you are dismissed." Mr. Shaff was already letting the students out by the time they had come back. "Oh, Hellena, Vash; I will give you another day to work on this, so don't fret."

Hellena turned to face Vash. "I'll see you later then. Bye." She walked off, feeling good about herself.

_Helping people... it's is nice, isn't it? It's funny how Gilbert, the scourge of the school, was the one to teach me that. I guess people_do_change after all, and you never can judge a book by its cover..._


	4. Chapter 4

Hellena sat alone in the courtyard, watching the wind brush the trees with its cool fingers. The heavy gray clouds above promised snow, and Hellena hoped the heavens would wait until the day's end to unleash its load. She still felt a bit distant, and perhaps even a little alienated, from both her experience with Gilbert, and her talk with Vash. They were two people she normally tried to avoid, and yet she had found that they had quite a bit in common.

"Hellena," Hellena looked up to see Vash striding towards her, his gait just a little unsure. "May I eat with you?"

"Yeah; 'course you can! I'm all alone here anyway, so why not?" She slapped the space on the bench beside her, gesturing for him to sit. He did, but he kept his distance. She supposed he still wasn't sure of her, which was just fine with her. After all, they had only just met.

There really wasn't much to be said, but Hellena didn't mind. Silence was just as important as voice, in her opinion. Companionable silence was the kind of silence that one could think in; it was the kind that conjured questions to bring up in later conversation. It was comfortable, and she didn't want to ruin it.

Then the acrid smell of smoke hit her nose. She looked up to see Francis, leering down at Vash. Vash's green eyes were wide with fear, and she could see the question of fight or flight flaring in their emerald depths.

"Vash Zwigli..." Francis teased, drawling and intentionally mispronouncing the name. "What kind of retarded parents would name their kid _that? _What kinda name is it, anyway? Swigle, Swingly, Shiggle; how is that said again?"

Hellena clenched her fists angrily.

"Go away," Vash closed his eyes, wrapping his arms around himself protectively.

"Hey, I asked you a question, twerp." Vash yelped in pain as Francis yanked on his hair, forcing him to look up. Francis's face was contorted in a snarl, and he glared down at his prey with the eyes of a predator. "Look at me when I'm talking to you!" He raised a fist to strike, but Hellena was faster.

She rose, and with lightning speed she made a sharp jab at the back of Francis's neck. He cried out, released Vash, and turned on her angrily, readying himself to hit his attacker. This time, she struck him square in the gut. He fell to the ground, a low groan escaping his throat.

"What the _fuck?_!" he growled, looking up at her. Hellena glowered, and knelt down to look him in they eye.

"If you _ever_ mess with my friends again..." she gripped his collar, dragging him towards her so she could hiss venomously into his ear, "...I'll kill you." She let his head fall back to the ground, and stood up to find that Vash had run off.

"Damn it," she spat. "What did I just do?"

Standing up for people really wasn't her forte, and yet, for some reason she had done so for a boy she'd only known for less than two hours. Then, there was the promise she had made to Francis...

"_If you ever mess with my friends again... I'll kill you."_

She shook her head, mind spinning. _Fuck it, Gilbert, what did you do to me?_

She strolled into the library, a dark cloud of confusion following her at every step. It was study hall, and she hoped to perhaps speak with her friends, and forget her troubles. However, instead she found herself walking up to Vash, who was peering around a book shelf, rather suspiciously. She looked beyond him to see what he was watching, and saw the girl, Lilit.

"Fancy meeting you here," she said, and he jumped, turning to face her.

"Oh; hey Hellena." His eyes darted around the room, as if waiting for a hawk to swoop in and take him away. She smiled in an attempt to help him relax.

"Looking for someone?" She inquired.

"Uh, no – well, yeah actually, but... I have a question for you." He looked up into her blue eyes with his own green ones. "Why did you help me? And...why did you call me your friend?"

Hellena broke away from his gaze, staring down at a stain on the floor beside her instead. "I-I don't know... it's not really something I often do, but... I felt like you and I could be friends, and when Francis came along, I just couldn't stand it. I couldn't stand the things he was saying to you, what he was about to do to you. It doesn't help that I'm incredibly impulsive, and well, I just didn't know what else to do." Hellena glanced back up and past Vash, to where Lilit was looking around the library with a worried expression on her face.

She quickly changed topics. "Hey, you might wanna go and help out your friend over there already, it looks like she's-" Abruptly, she was hugged by Vash. Startled, she just stood there, not knowing what to do.

"Thank you, so much. I really appreciate what you've done for me." Then he was off, walking quickly over to Lilit. Hellena stared after him. So far, she had found him pretty predictable, but of all the things she had expected of him, that certainly wasn't one of them. To her surprise, she found herself smiling in satisfaction.

_Perhaps, Gilbert, whatever you did, it wasn't such a bad thing after all..._


	5. Chapter 5

"Hey, Gil!" Gilbert looked up to see the wide-grinning face of Alfred F. Jones. He swallowed, wondering what kind of person this Alfred was. If they were friends, it could only mean the guy was bad news.

"Oh, hi." He returned to his crimson gaze to his book, ignoring the sly look crossing the other's face.

"Wow... you're _reading?_ Let me guess; there's porn under that cover, right?" He laughed, slapping Gilbert on the back and gazing over his shoulder, his own blue eyes teasing. After a moment, he frowned, for what he saw was text about the Seven Years War.

"I'm doing homework, actually. I, uh... ditched some history classes so this is make-up work." He shied away from Alfred, feeling his personal space bubble being invaded.

"You... you're doing _homework?_" You, of all people? Absurd!" He hooted in laughter, as though it was the funniest thing he had ever heard. "Finally got a conscience, huh Gilbert? Took you long enough."

Gilbert's eyes widened, realizing he was referring to his brother, Ludwig. He rose up, and looked Alfred in the eyes, happy to have height on his side.

"Shut up," Gilbert snapped, and stormed off, leaving Alfred blinking in confusion.

"Hey, I was just joking!" Alfred called after him, but Gilbert had already turned a corner and disappeared.

It was lunch time, but Francis, Antonio, and a rather concerned Gilbert were not in the cafeteria. Instead, the _Bad Friend Trio_ was waiting for someone. No one had said exactly who, although it seemed that Francis and Antonio knew exactly who their target was. Gilbert swallowed, wishing he could be _anywhere_ but his current position in a crowded hall.

"He'll be coming down this way in maybe five minutes," Francis stated, looking at one of his many watches, "and she'll get here around the same time." He grinned, and Antonio chuckled.

"This should be fun, no?" he said, looking at Gilbert with twinkling green eyes. Gilbert gave him an uneasy smile, but Antonio, being as unobservant as he was, didn't notice. Gilbert searched the mob of students pushing past, trying to find just who they were looking for, though he hadn't the slightest clue who it could be.

"There he is," Antonio whispered excitedly. He made a move to start walking, but Francis stopped him.

"Just wait for Lilit to get here, and follow my lead."

The crowd began to thin out, and from it bounced a girl with cropped blonde hair and a little blue ribbon tucked into it. She looked to be a freshman; much younger than Gilbert or any of his friends, for that matter.

"Lilit," a rough voice called across the hall. A boy his own age was making his way toward her, and at first glance they could have been brother and sister. His hair was also blonde, cut just above his shoulders. They were nearly identical, minus the ribbon, of course.

"Hey, Vash, Lilit!" Francis suddenly stepped between them. "Long time, no see, huh? Well, except _you_," he hissed at Vash. "Where's your little guard dog this time?"

"Francis!" Vash snarled, balling up his hands into fists, and trying to step around him. No matter which way he turned, however, Francis moved to stand in his way.

Antonio, on the other hand, was having his fun with the girl. "Aren't you pretty?" he drawled, his Spanish accent so thick one could cut it with a knife. He reached out to touch her hair.

"Don't lay a hand on her!" Vash shouted frantically.

"Hey, Gil, mind putting a _muzzle_ on this _dog?_" Francis called out as he held back Vash, who was struggling and kicking his tormentor viciously. "Quit struggling, _mutt!_"

Gilbert was frozen in shock; he couldn't _believe_ this was the kind of stuff he had been doing! It was revolting, and wrong, and he wanted no part in it.

"No, Francis; you're going too far." He turned to Antonio. "You too; leave them alone." Antonio took a step back, his eyes questioning, and flickering back and fourth between Francis and Gilbert.

Francis, however, looked incredibly ticked off. He moved away from Vash, and the boy raced forward, taking Lilit into his arms and holding her protectively. His intense green gaze bore into Gilbert, eying him with suspicion.

"What the hell are you trying to pull, Gil?" Francis said in a low, quavering voice that held an edge so sharp, Gilbert winced. He took a step back, now fearful, for he had not expected Francis to react this way. Then again... he didn't know this guy. He didn't know anyone here.

Francis lunged forward, grabbing Gilbert by the collar and slamming him into the wall. The impact knocked the air from his chest, and Gilbert gasped desperately for oxygen. Pain was shooting through his back, and looking into the blue eyes of Francis, he felt a shiver of pure terror tear across his skin.

"You wanna play the good guy all of a sudden, huh Gil? I think you're in a little _deep_ for that!" His voice rose from a hoarse whisper to a shout that made Gilbert's ears ring with the sound.

"Hey, man, just cool off okay? We don't want to make a commotion, so let's just run while we can." Antonio laid a hand on Francis's shoulder, and after a moment, Francis released his grip.

Gilbert sank to the ground, his vision swimming.

"Next time," Francis hissed, "you decide to play the hero? You'll get what's coming to you." He slunk off, Antonio creeping after him and trying to calm him down.

Gilbert turned back to the victims. Lilit was sobbing into Vash's shoulder. Vash was still staring at him with disconcerted green eyes.

"Why would you help us?" he asked in a strange accent. Gilbert shook his head, trying to clear away the throbbing and ringing echoing within.

_Does this happen all the time?_ He thought, horrified.

"I-I... can't explain that." Without another word, he ran stumbling down the hall to put as much distance between himself and the two as he possibly could.

Once more, he skipped his last class, but this time, it was on purpose. He sat on the steps of a 24 hour store, staring out at the passing cars and feeling very sorry for himself.

Night crept up quickly, and a light drizzle came with it, chilling Gilbert to the bone. As he knew it would, a black Jaguar rolled up to the curb and his brother ushered him inside.

"Hey," Gilbert greeted half-heartedly. Guilt crashed down upon him as he realized what staying out so late meant for his brother. He swallowed it, keeping his eyes away from his brother.

"_Hallo_," Ludwig replied coldly. Gilbert winced. His brother's chilly tone was worse than any rain storm.

The drive was once again silent. This time, however, Gilbert did not watch the outside. He did not marvel at the transformation of the structures around him. He simply didn't care, so instead he kept his gaze fixed on the hands in his lap.

The car pulled up to the house, and the two brothers entered, never once looking up to meet each other in the eyes.

"You're late again," their father's voice boomed from where he sat at the dining table, tapping away on a laptop. He stood, and walked over to them, his eyes smoldering.

"_Vati_, I-" Ludwig began, but Gilbert wouldn't let him finish.

"Ludwig's done nothing wrong," he interrupted, silencing him instantly. Gilbert forced himself to look his father in the eyes. "He never has. It's entirely my fault. It always was. He's a good student; I'm not. If you're going to punish somebody, let it be me."

The air hung with a tense, shocked silence. Ludwig stared at his brother, bewildered. His father regarded them both with steely eyes.

"_Bruder_," Ludwig whispered, but Gilbert waved him off.

"So the truth comes out? Very well, then. However, since Ludwig has been covering for you, he shall be punished for that."

The punishment was harsh, but Gilbert remembered all the things that his brother had suffered for his sake before this, and knew it was deserved. Afterward, the two made their way back to their chambers.

"_Bruder_..." Ludwig said slowly, stopping. Gilbert turned to face his brother. He looked into Ludwig's tired, blue gaze, so full of pain and sadness. It brought tears to his eyes.

"_Mien bruder_..." Gilbert gathered Ludwig in to a warm, tight hug, catching him by surprise. "You'll never be alone again. I promise."

Ludwig burst out crying, wrapping his arms around his brother.

"_Ich liebe dich_," Ludwig whispered.

"I love you too, dear brother." Gilbert smiled. He had finally discovered what he had to do. He wasn't supposed to fit into his mold...

He had to break out of it.


	6. Chapter 6

Gilbert sat in his math class, pondering his situation. On one hand, he was happy; he had finally done something to end his brother's misery. They were at peace. On the other hand... didn't he have another life, back from whence he'd come? Were people missing him? Or had he been replaced?

His mind was in no state to decipher the numbers and symbols on the whiteboard, and he felt no desire to work, so instead he merely closed his book with a soft thump. The bell rang, and he walked out into the open hall to meet with his friends, Antonio and Francis.

"Hey, Gil! Wassup?" Antonio called to him, grinning widely. "Let's go watch a movie or something!" Gilbert looked at him, perplexed.

"We were thinking about ditching and hitting the mall to watch a movie. What do you think?" Francis raised his eyebrows expectantly.

"I... I think that's a bad idea." He replied, glancing at the time.

"Why, got something better to do?" Francis snorted, rolling his eyes in exasperation.

"Yeah, class. You two can go if you like, though." Gilbert tried to walk away, but Francis stepped in front of him, blocking his path.

"'Us... _two?_ Gilbert, there are _three _of us, or have you forgotten?" Gilbert tensed, bracing himself for the worst.

"I just feel like maybe it's time we stopped messing around, and actually took life and school seriously for once." Gilbert began carefully. "My brother…"

"What about _Ludwig?_" Francis spat, and Gilbert's lips curled in anger at Francis's indifference.

"My brother has been beaten every night because of me!" Gilbert stated, shoving Francis away in frustration. Francis stared at him, a mixture of disbelief and fury burning in his azure eyes.

"Since when have _you_ had a heart, huh Gil? We've joked about your brother's misfortune for _years_! You look shocked. Have you forgotten _just who you are?_" Francis gave Gilbert another heated shove, and in turn Gilbert pushed back with even more force.

"Stop it, Francis." Gilbert hissed, his red eyes glowing like embers.

"Oh, please! You're going to challenge authority now?" For the second time that week, Francis threw Gilbert into the wall and held him there. This time, however, Gilbert fought back, bringing his fist across Francis's jaw with a loud _crack!_ Francis reeled, cussing like a sailor.

"_Fuck!_" he howled, and delivered a kick to Gilbert's knees. Gilbert stumbled, clutching at the wall behind him, but he found himself sinking to the ground regardless of his efforts. Seeing his opportunity, Francis kicked him again in the head, knocking his opponent to the side easily. Blinding light exploded across Gilbert's vision, and pain seemed to be erupting from every nerve in his body. More strikes followed. He was dimly aware of Antonio yelling at Francis to stop, but never did he make a move to help his friend.

The blows suddenly ceased, and Francis kneeled down to whisper, "You wanna _care_ all of a sudden? Well, fine; you're going to be on your own from now on, because the Bad Friend Trio is now _disbanded!_"

Tears blurred his vision, and blood filled his mouth, the mixed taste of iron, salt, and bitter betrayal warm upon his tongue. Nothing, however, could compare to the agony that wracked his body. He could hardly make sense of the words Francis had uttered. He groaned, wishing it would all just end...

Gilbert woke to find himself in a blindingly white room. An insistent beeping from his left filled his ears, reminding him of a heartbeat. It took him a few moments to realize it was _his_ heartbeat, and that he was lying in a hospital bed.

He opened his mouth to call out, but as he took a deep breath, a spike of pain split his chest, and instead a muffled groan escaped his throat. Nevertheless, someone heard him, and rushed to his side.

"_Bruder_! Do not speak. You've fractured a rib." Gilbert smiled up at his brother's concerned, blue eyes. "Everything will be just fine..."

Gilbert was released the next day, his chest wrapped tightly in cloth bandages. There had been only one witness to his beating – Antonio – but he wasn't talking. Gilbert did not wish to talk either; he feared Francis would accuse Antonio of ratting him out, and Lord only knew what would happen then.

Nobody knew what had happened to Gilbert. No one had to know. He stayed quiet throughout the day, and kept a low profile, doing his best to stay off the radar of those around him. Occasionally, someone would ask about him, but he never said much more than "I'm fine". School came round to study hall without incident, and Gilbert decided to take a stroll through town to get some fresh air, and re-affirm a strong grip on his situation.

The day was cool, the air crisp, only the stinging scent of exhaust warming the streets Gilbert strode down. Without much thought, his feet brought him to the street he where he had met the girl. He stopped, gazing at the spot where he had tripped. The sidewalk was cleared of trash at that moment, leaving no trace of the blue-eyed wonder of a girl. He still had no name to call her by, and it irritated him greatly.

He kept walking, wondering if he could find her, but doubting all the while that he would. Finally, after half an hour of searching, he gave up. He began the long walk home, only to once again run into her.

"Whoa!" He stumbled, and leapt to the side, so as not to trample her further.

"Would you people watch where the _hell – _oh... Gilbert." She stood up, dusting off her grimy work pants and giving him a wry smile. "Got any food for me this time, or were you just taking a stroll?"

"Actually, I was hoping to find you here," he told her. "Are your brothers around?"

"Yeah, hold on a minute." She turned to face down a narrow space between two buildings. "Hey! Guess who's here?" It's our good friend Gilbert." From out behind a tangle of pipes emerged the grinning face of the girl's brother. He carefully made his way towards them.

"Decided to pay a visit to poor men like us?" he joked. Gilbert smiled unsurely. "Ah, no worries; I wouldn't want to live life any other way." He swung his sister in his arms, and she laughed happily.

"Come, we're just mucking about so you can walk with us if you like." the girl took his and her brother's hand, and skipped off at a brisk pace. Gilbert hurried along, wondering if this was how they had always lived, every day of their lives. He thought back to his own life, a spot of guilt tugging at his conscience, but he shoved it away.

"Hey!" the girl suddenly called out to someone ahead of them. "TY, how's it going?"

Just down the street, a teen wearing worn jeans and a sweatshirt turned around to face them. A hood covered his face, and Gilbert wondered who he was.

"Who's TY?" Gilbert asked, confused. The girl looked at him like he was crazy.

"Um, only one of your best friends," she mused this for a moment, and then continued, "then again, you'd know him as Antonio Carriendo, right?" She waved him over, and Antonio slowly approached them.

"Hellena-" he stopped, pulling off his hoodie. "¿Gilbert? ¿_Qué tú estás haciendo aquí?__  
_  
_"Porque a mi me gusta caminar con mi amigos."_ Gilbert gestured to Hellena and Yung Soo. _I know her name now..._ the thought briefly crossed his mind, but he focused on Antonio first. _"¿Por que preguntas?"_

Antonio looked around nervously, as if he were a wanted man. "I can't be seen with you, okay man? If anyone sees me talking to you, I'm dead meat!"

"Wait, what do you mean?" Gilbert sputtered. Had Tony just said he was in _danger_? _"¿Tú eres mi amigo, si?"_

"I'm sorry man... but we can't be friends anymore. I'm putting my life at risk, just by talking to you right now." He flipped up his hoodie, shadowing his face once more. "_Yo necesito ir. Adios."_ He fled past them at a run.

_"Adios... compadre."_ Gilbert said falteringly as Antonio disappeared into the crowd.

"Um... what just happened?" Yung Soo burst out, unable to contain his curiosity any longer.

"I think... I just lost all my friends."


End file.
